Sockeye!!!

[Raincatcher]

In June 2012, returning sockeye salmon were joined by a chinook at a Bonneville Dam viewing window.

Rick Bowmer/AP wire photo​

Sockeye salmon, forecast to be about a fifth of 2015's monster run of 512,500, are crossing Bonneville Dam at close to double last year's rate for this early in the season.
By June 5, points out Joe Hymer of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 3,409 sockeye were counted at the dam; compared with 1,949 for the same date in 2015.
The 2015 numbers were the third highest sockeye counts since record-keeping began in 1938. In 2014, a record 648,361 sockeye were counted, but by June 5 of that year, only 489 had shown up at Bonneville.
Hymer said the sockeye count at the dam typically peaks July 1.

 

[C_Run]

We took a tour of the dam on Friday (never had done it before) and spent some time watching the viewing windows. Zillions of shad, some springers, and lampreys and I did see one sockeye while we were there!

 

[DirectDrive]

Mini-Springers !
Beautiful fish.

 

[Fishnbuck]

Are all Sockeye native, or are there hatchery fish as well? Are they exclusive to Columbia, or do they run the tribs as well?

 

[Snopro]

Are all Sockeye native, or are there hatchery fish as well? Are they exclusive to Columbia, or do they run the tribs as well?

Sockeye are native to the Columbia basin and many other systems in Washington, BC, Alaska. Like many salmon runs some fish are wild and some are hatchery in origin. Sockeye need a lake to grow in as juveniles so all the fish passing Boneville are headed towards tribs. Some of the major Columbia Sockeye tribs would be the Snake, Wenatchee, Okanogan.

 

[rogerdodger]

Redfish Lake near Stanley Idaho is a good example, long ago it would turn red as the spawning sockeye would return in huge numbers...(south of the lake is a great wilderness area for hiking and trout fishing...:thumb: )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redfish_Lake

 

[cknowles673]

Sockeye are native to the Columbia basin and many other systems in Washington, BC, Alaska. Like many salmon runs some fish are wild and some are hatchery in origin. Sockeye need a lake to grow in as juveniles so all the fish passing Boneville are headed towards tribs. Some of the major Columbia Sockeye tribs would be the Snake, Wenatchee, Okanogan.

I was curious too... thanks for the info!